Items tagged with Comcast

Google Fiber just can’t a break these days. Just yesterday, we reported that parent company Alphabet is contemplating laying off additional employees and that plans to expand the gigabit internet service to 10 additional markets have been put on indefinite hold. Part of Google Fiber’s tender wounds are likely self-inflicted, with the company perhaps biting off more than it can chew at a time when it comes to deploying fiber in major markets across the United States. On the flip side, much of the damage has come from entrenched players like AT&T and Comcast which have been fighting to prevent...Read more...

Comcast's insistence on strapping data caps on customers seems to be at odds with advances in technology as a whole, but tough luck if you're an Xfinity customer, you might getting one anyway (depending on where you live). Remember those 1-terabyte trials Comcast's been trialing in select markets? It's now ready to deploy 1TB (1,024 gigabytes) data caps to a bunch more Xfinity customers across the nation. According to Comcast, more than 99 percent of its customers don't use a terabyte of data on a monthly basis Those who do go over the data limit will be charge $10 for additional 50GB chunks of...Read more...

It turns out the rumors you might have heard about Comcast getting into the wireless phone space were true. Comcast boss Brian Roberts confirmed as much today by announcing plans to partner up with Verizon to launch its own brand wireless service by the middle of next year, effectively making it an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator). There are several hundred MVNOs operating in the United States. The most popular ones tend to be owned by major wireless carriers, such as Boost Mobile (Sprint), Cricket Wireless (AT&T), and MetroPCS (T-Mobile), but that won't be of much concern to Comcast—both...Read more...

It looks as though Google is having a hard time overcoming the obstacles standing in the way of deploying Google Fiber in Nashville, Tennessee. When we last touched on the story, Google Fiber was lobbying to push “One Touch Make Ready”, which would allow Google to move Comcast and AT&T equipment installed on utility poles as needed — using approved personnel — to speed up fiber deployments throughout the city. Needless to say, Comcast and AT&T weren’t happy about the thought of a third-party manhandling its equipment, let alone the thought of another competitor entering the market. One...Read more...

Congratulations people of Chicago, Comcast just expanded the availability of its 1-gigabit broadband Internet service to your area. That sounds like reason for celebration, right? It should be except that compared to same service in Atlanta and Nashville, it costs twice as much for the speedy Internet connection. In Atlanta and Georgia, Comcast offered new customers willing to commit to three years of service a rate of $70 per month. Those who wanted no part of a long-term contract could pay $140 per month, which is what Comcast is charging for its 1Gbps service in Chicago. Unfortunately, Comcast...Read more...

Should privacy on the internet come at a premium? FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler does not think so. Wheeler has been battling ISP’s in order to guarantee that all internet customers have an equal amount of privacy. He remarked, “I would hope that privacy doesn't become a luxury item”. This comment is an obvious snub to both AT&T and Comcast who offer discounts to customers if they agree to let go of some of their privacy or charge a premium for extra privacy. AT&T charges customers $30 to $50 USD more per month if they want to opt out of "Internet Preferences”. This program tracks user’s browsing...Read more...

Internet providers are still hashing out issues with the FCC. In particular, Comcast is currently defend its “pay-for-privacy” model to the FCC [PDF]. Comcast has even contended that “the FCC has no authority to prohibit or limit these types of programs.”So what exactly is the “pay-for-privacy” system? Essentially, companies like Comcast offers discounts to customers in exchange for allowing ISP's to use their data. Comcast then floods these customers with various behaviorally-targeted ads. Customers who prefer privacy over pricing are charged a premium.Several weeks ago a number of lawmakers...Read more...

Comcast is back in the news again. Yesterday, we reported on Comcast’s part in making it more difficult for Google to deploy its high-speed Google Fiber internet service in Nashville, and today we’re hearing that the media giant is facing a $100 million lawsuit in the state of Washington. So what exactly did Comcast do to find itself faced with such legal action? According to the Washington State Attorney General, the company sold “near-worthless” service plans to customers. “Customers who sign up for Comcast’s Service Protection Plan pay a $4.99 monthly fee ostensibly to avoid being charged if...Read more...

If you’re a tech nerd like all of us here at HotHardware, you crave speed. Faster graphics cards, faster processors, faster SSDs, faster smartphones — you get the idea. And of course, who wouldn’t want faster internet at relatively reasonable prices? In markets around the United States where there is little to no competition in the ISP arena, customers are usually stuck with just one broadband provider (meaning that you have no choice but to accept their data speeds and prices). It is because of this dark cloud surrounding the U.S. broadband internet industry that many enthusiasts become positively...Read more...

Comcast just announced its plans to introduce Xfinity Prepaid Services. This is a pay-as-you-go plan which allows customers to “refill” their subscription at any time for seven- or thirty-day periods. The service will be available later this year in Illinois, Michigan, Georgia, Florida, and Indiana and nationally by the end of 2017. Customers interested in Xfinity Prepaid Services pay a one-time set-up fee. The fee includes a Wi-Fi modem, a Digital Television Adapter (DTA) or remote control, and thirty days of complimentary service. There are no limitations on the number of times the service can...Read more...

If you’re a Nashville resident that’s looking to hop on the gigabit internet bandwagon and don’t won’t to wait around for the Google Fiber network build-out, you have a new option. Comcast today announced that its DOCSIS 3.1-based gigabit internet service trial is now available to residents and businesses in the Nashville, Tennessee area. Nashville is only the second market in the country to boast DOCSIS 3.1 service, following Comcast’s rollout in Atlanta just over a year ago. The good thing about going the DOCSIS 3.1 route is that Comcast can take advantage of gigabit internet speeds using existing...Read more...

It was with good intentions that Comcast took to Twitter to promote Comcast Cares Day, an annual event in which thousands of its employees go out and volunteer in their communities. What Comcast didn't take into account is the snarky nature of Twitter and backlash it would receive on the social network. Comcast created its own hashtag to draw attention to its philanthropic outreach effort—#ComcastCaresDay—but instead of good vibes and high fives, it attracted a mountain of mockery. Some if it came from ticked off Comcast subscribers who were taken aback by what they viewed as obvious irony, while...Read more...

Comcast has sparked the ire of customers across the country with its restrictive broadband data caps. Earlier this week, we reported that during the first half of 2015, Comcast received 863 complaints about its data caps. However, for the second half of the year, those complaints skyrocketed to nearly 8,000 as it expanded its data cap “trials” to additional markets. And it’s not just customers that are fed up with data caps; the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has also let it be known that it won’t tolerate such nonsense. In fact, the FCC stipulated that in order for Charter to win approval...Read more...

Cable ISP customers aren't real keen on Comcast's broadband data caps and they're letting the Federal Communications Commission know about it in rising numbers. In the second half of 2015, there were 7,904 complaints about data caps, up from 863 complaints in the first half of the year. As of April in this year, the total was 1,463. Comcast, one of just two outfits to earn Consumerist's "Worst Company in America" title on more than one occasion (2010 and 2014), knows it needs to do a better job satisfying customers. That's why the ISP went on a hiring spree in March of last year, at the time noting...Read more...